UAV Flight Training and Simulation Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The UAV flight training and simulation market is anticipated to register a CAGR of over 6.5% during the forecast period (2022-2027), due to the growing applications of UAVs in military and commercial segments.

Over the short term, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries had imposed a stay on the import and export of goods. But as the situation gets normalized all the countries have come back to normal conditions. With defense expenditure across the world increasing during the pandemic, governments have made investments in developing drone and UAV technologies. As a result, there has been a visibly increased use of UAVs and simulators in defense and law enforcement agencies across the world. This is expected to last on a similar trend during the forecast period, rendering the COVID-19 pandemic having negligible effects on the market.

Modifications to existing regulations on the use of UAVs will increase the number of users of these unmanned systems in the coming years. For instance, in India, the government regulated UAVs. Machines under 25 kg do not require any operating license and have a maximum flight altitude of 120 meters within a visual line of sight. Machines up to 260 kg must be registered, require an operator permit, and may have above 120 meters with permission from air traffic control.

Investments were made in technological advancements and R&D to increase computational capabilities and provide a highly-realistic training platform for advanced learning to support the growth of the market. For instance, in July 2022, EndureAir Systems, an unmanned aviation technology start-up, announced it has raised INR 13.5 crores in a seed funding round led by Jalaj Dani, co-promoter of Asian Paints, along with the founders of robotics and automation company Addverb Technologies.

The absence of a concrete and formal structure for the training of UAS pilots is expected to hamper the growth of the UAV training and simulator market.

Key Market Trends

Military and Law Enforcement Segment Dominates Market Share

The military and law enforcement segment of the UAV flight training and simulation market had the highest share in 2021. It was mainly due to the growth of the military role of UAVs at unprecedented rates by economically developing countries. There are more than 32 countries, engaged in the development and manufacturing of more than 300 models of UAVs, of which, these nations use around 80-100 UAVs for military and defense purposes. For instance,

• In July 2022, The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO India) successfully carried out the maiden test flight of a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, from the Aeronautical Test Range, Chitradurga, Karnataka.

The development of new models with advanced military capabilities is expected to generate demand for advanced UAV training and simulation. However, the civil and commercial segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. This is majorly due to the growing applications of UAVs, like the delivery of parcels, medicines, and other commercial applications, along with the stringent rules for flying a UAV or drone in the city or states, demanding better-trained remote pilots. This need for trained pilots is fueling the growth of UAV flight training and simulation devices.

North America Expected to Lead the Market During the Forecast Period

North America is the largest defense expenditure considering all continents across the globe. In North America, US military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4 percent from 2020. The US military burden decreased slightly from 3.7 percent of GDP in 2020 to 3.5 percent in 2021.

The North American segment is currently dominating the market and is expected to continue to dominate the market during the forecast period. This growth is primarily due to the increasing use of UAVs for military operations like intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission, combat, and other missions by the United States. Also, ongoing tests and trials by US companies for the use of drones for deliveries of medical equipment and packages are expected to drive growth in North America during the forecast period. For instance

• In Sept 2022, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks signed into effect updated guidance for the procurement and operation of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). In support of the National Defense Strategy, this updated policy provides expanded department-wide guidance on the use of all UAS, regardless of size, weight, or capability.

Competitive Landscape

The market for UAV flight training and simulation is a highly fragmented market with many companies accounting for a significant market share in 2019. Some of the prominent players in the market are CAE Inc., L3Harris Technologies Inc., Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Ltd, Textron Inc., and Northrop Grumman Corporation. The global presence and the ability of the companies to provide simulation and training solutions to all the operators in the region are likely to support the growth of the companies to strengthen their position in the market.

• In May 2022, CAE announced at the 2022 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE2022) that it has signed a three-year extension to its pilot training agreement with TAG Aviation, a leading business aviation provider.
• In May 2022, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and 2Excel Aviation completed a demonstration of IAI's Maritime Heron UAS in a series of life, Beyond Visual Line of Sight maritime search and ISR scenarios.

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